I guess it was just a matter of time before i hit one of those mental blocks that many here experience. I just don't know how to get out of it. ;( A little back story. The last two weeks I have been battling a nasty upper respiratory virus and didn't run during that time. I was feeling well enough on Saturday(still have a cough but it's better than before) so I decided to give it a go again. My first run back was horrible. At mile one i stopped for a short break, then at 1 1/2 mile, then at mile 2..you get the idea. No matter what I did I just couldn't push through. I tried slowing down as much as I could without being at a walking pace and pulled out every trick I have used to this point to get me to finish line. Nothing worked. I ended extremely frustrated but just kinda chalked it up to I was out of condition from not running for so long and cold/windy conditions outside. Today was my next run out and it was a disaster as well. Same thing, just kept stopping and starting. I don't think I ran more than a mile at a time without stopping. I know I can get to a 5k running nonstop because I've done it numerous times before. These runs have me seriously doubting hitting that mark again. I ended todays run in tears out of frustration with myself. What the heck has happened to me? Just a few weeks back I was so much stronger both mentally and physically. How do I get out of this rut?

18 Replies

Good morning Lilly! Fantastic that after a respiratory illness you have already got back on the road, that takes defication!

Dont be hard on yourself, its likely that you are not yet back to full fitness. The gremlins ate capitalising on this! Dont let them! You have started really well, now be kind to yourself and build slowly. Why not make a plan and give yourself a couple of weeks to get back to where you were. That will take the pressure off. You will likely find that as you get back to full fitness you will overtake your plan anyway and willbe back to running with the breeze in no time at all.

The important thing is that you continue to get out there and run. Reducing the walks will happen before you know it 🏃🏻👍🏼

Thank you xo My husband tried to cheer me up this morning telling me much the same things you have said. He said that 99% of the homes i passed this morning had people sleeping still, at least i got out there and got moving. He said to keep working at it and it'll come back. I sure hope you are both right.

Don't feel disheartened, you'll be back to running 5ks soon! Just take it easy after your illness. It's not a good idea to run when you have any symptoms below the neck. I learned the hard way yesterday when I tried to run even though I have some aches that I think are the start of the flu. I can run 9k without stopping but could barely manage 20 mins of intervals! So go easy, do some alternative gentle exercises (walking or swimming) to keep active, or go back to running but keep it low intensity. We all have ups and downs in our training but it sounds like you're fighting! All the best!

It must be so frustrating to have two bad runs on top of not feeling 100%. Give your self permission to get better. Your body is fighting the infection and that is hard work. Do some yoga or stretching instead of running while you mend, practice breathing. Doing that while recovering will make you feel better, and run better when your body has recovered.

Thanks..while i don't feel 100% yet due to this cough it has improved a great deal. I'm not waking constantly during the night from it anymore. I guess I was just afraid the more i wait to get back on the road the harder it will be. Not only mentally but physically too. I was in such a great rhythm before i came down with the virus. It's funny though..all summer long I was bitching about the hot humid weather and now I'm praying for it. My mornings here are ranging in between 45degrees-55degress lately and the wind has picked up. I'm resisting getting into the gym because I'd much rather run outside.

I'm glad to hear you are improving it makes me hopeful I will too. I'll tell you this morning I felt so defeated. Every time I stopped I was cursing. It's a good thing no one is out at that hour.lol At one point I turned off my watch because I figured why monitor my speed when i've stopped so much. I think I have too much stubbornness in me to stop at this point.haha

The frustration you’ve experienced following your recent illness is most likely physical as opposed to mental.

The fact that you’ve attempted two runs since seemingly recovering from the worst of the virus demonstrates that you still maintain the enthusiasm.

As frustrating as it may be, you simply have to allow a little more time for lung function to return to its usual level, allowing you to get back out there. Thankfully, I seldom suffer from respiratory viruses, but when I do, it usually takes around a month for my lungs to re-discover their full exercising capacity.

While you wait for your chest to recover, if you don’t already do so, seek to introduce strength building into your regime by performing squats, lunges, calf raises and core-work, as resistance training will be far kinder upon your respiratory system.

We all appreciate and understand your frustration, but you can rest assured that even if you have to refrain from running for the next fortnight, for example, you won't have lost too much of your running fitness.

Granted, you may need to go a little slower or introduce more walking breaks for the first week, but you'll quickly return to where you were before illness.

Don't forget that viral illnesses often have a sting in their tail in the form of a kind of depression. So not only are you perhaps temporarily a little less fit but your brain biochemistry (also temporarily) views it through a very jaded prism too.

Don't let it build up in your mind!! As others have said likely still a bit wiped out from the virus. I had a mental block for quite a while - with no cause. I found going back to the later podcasts quite helpful, eg: week 5, then wk 6 run3, then wk7. You'll soon be back at it. Good luck